Senatus Populusque Romanus
=The Imperial Charter of Senatus Populusque Romanus= I. Preamble and Guiding Philosophy All nations of SPQR have bound themselves to one another by an oath of loyalty; the terms of this oath are heretofore delineated in this document. All Romans share the common goals of peace, prosperity, and sovereignty, which they seek through shared values of unity, sacrifice, and strength. SPQR and her members commit themselves to a strong alliance defense and economy, and recognize the need for such institutions in order that the individual may be better served through advancement of the entirety of Rome. II. Government Section 1: Imperator 1. The Imperator, as Sovereign of SPQR, is both Head of State and Head of Government of Rome. He or she retains supreme authority over all internal or external affairs of the Government1. The Imperator serves as the embodiment of the will of SPQR, and as such retains his or her position indefinitely. The Imperator is not bound to adhere to the desires of any one group within SPQR, but is expected to lead with the will of the people and all of Rome in the forefront of their hearts and minds. Should it be determined that the Imperator no longer serves the best interests of SPQR, he or she may be removed from office by a Vote of No Confidence2. The only other way in which an Imperator may be removed from office is by resignation. 2. Duties of the Imperator: Perform all actions required to administrate all aspects of SPQR, including but not limited to defense, economics, foreign affairs, and internal affairs. 3. Authorities reserved solely for the Imperator: Declarations of war3, approval/rejection of treaties with foreign alliances, suspension or expulsion of a nation from SPQR4. Section 2: Praetors 1. Praetors are officials appointed at the discretion of the Imperator. Though the offices may be created and dismissed by the Imperator as the Imperator so commands, several offices—Legatus, Quaestor, Censor, and Dux—will exist indefinitely. These four offices are known as the Praetoria Superior. There may be other appointed offices of a rank generally lower than that of the Praetoria Superior, known as the Praetoria Inferior, which the Imperator may create as a temporary or semi-permanent office for more specific tasks than those accorded to the Praetoria Superior. All Praetors receive their powers through the implied Imperium conferred upon them by their appointment under the Imperator, and should be considered extensions of the Imperator's authority. Therefore, Praetors may also be removed from office by a Vote of No Confidence under the same protocols as those that apply to the Imperator. Praetors may often have overlapping responsibilities, and are expected to work together as a cohesive unit to administrate all matters affecting Rome from outside as well as from within. 2. Praetoria Superior *1. Legatus - Commander of the Legion of Rome, second only to the Imperator (who serves as de facto Commander-in-Chief). Responsible for the creation and administration of a competent defensive structure for the general security of SPQR. Authorized to create military officials with the approval of the Imperator to assist in the administration of the Legion. *2. Quaestor - Chief Economic Officer of Rome and immediately subordinate to the Legatus, the Quaestor oversees the movement of foreign aid with the goal of best preparing the Legionarii for battle. *3. Censor - Oversees the non-military internal affairs of Rome, including but not limited to: propaganda/media, recruitment/internal security/masking, and training/mentoring. Authorized to create non-military internal officials with the approval of the Imperator to assist in the administration of internal affairs. *4. Dux - Responsible for the deployment of ambassadors to foreign alliances *5. Regentor - Retains the authority to make non-executive decisions for the Imperator in the event of an extended absence on the part of the Imperator. Allowed to make all declarations save for declarations of war, approval/rejection of treaties, and any other external affairs. Assumes interim status as Imperator in the event that the Imperator is removed from office by the Tribunes. 3. Praetoria Inferior: The Imperator may appoint other members to head offices for needs that are semi-permanent or temporary in nature. These offices may be created or dismissed as the Imperator sees fit. Section 3: Tribunes 1. Tribunes are elected officials representing the voice of the people in government. There are to be five (5) tribunes elected by popular vote (neither the Imperator nor Praetoria are allowed to vote in Tribunal elections) who serve terms four months in length. The Imperator and the Praetoria are not allowed to serve as Tribunes. Their official duties are to ensure that the Imperium has not been used for purposes other than the betterment of Rome and that the Imperator and Praetoria have carried out their offices aiming to best serve the whole of Rome, to listen to the Citizens and act as their liaison to the Imperator. They may offer recommendations to the Imperator and Praetoria but have no binding power over them save for the authority to remove any official from the Executive branch through a Vote of No Confidence, and for the authority to reinstate suspended or expelled members of SPQR4. 2. Votes of No Confidence may be started by a Tribune alleging corruption, abuse of power, treason, incompetence/ineptitude, inactivity, or any combination of the above against the Imperator or any member of the Praetoria (Superior or Inferior)2. A formal motion of impeachment must be authored by the accusatory party listing the charges to be brought against the indicted official and any pertinent evidence or testimony supporting the charges5. If greater than 75% of the Tribunes move to impeach the accused official, the vote is then brought before the Citizens of SPQR. If 66% of the Citizenry choose to remove the official from office, the accused is deemed guilty of the listed offenses and is subject to sentencing as determined by the Tribunes. 3. Reinstatement of Suspended/Expelled Citizens allows citizens removed from their good standing within SPQR a vehicle to protest the actions taken against them. Tribunes are required to meet with all such Romans who are suspended or expelled and inquire whether they wish to file an appeal. Those who wish to appeal their status may plead their case, presenting any and all pertinent information to the Tribunes. The Tribunes then vote, and in the event that greater than 75% of the Tribunes vote in favor of reinstating the member, he or she is indeed reinstated and the Tribunes are to draft and present the Imperator with a Statement of Censure. Repeated cases of abuse of Imperium in suspending or expelling members may create the need for Tribunes to bring a Vote of No Confidence against the Imperator. III. Membership Section 1: Admissions 1. Requirements for admission are under the authority of the Censor and are subject to review by the Tribunes at any time. No nation currently in a state of war or sentenced to a permanent state of war by another alliance will be admitted. No nation who holds membership in an alliance other than SPQR at the time of their application will be admitted. Nations admitted to SPQR who have been in the alliance for 15 or more days are immune to requests from other alliances to be removed from SPQR for transgressions having taken place prior to SPQR membership. Section 2: Ranks and Privileges 1. It is recognized that members of SPQR give of themselves in different capacities. All members are afforded the basic right of protection and access to aid for defense-related purposes. However, those members who give more of their time and talents to SPQR will be rewarded with privileges according to their service. As such, members will be ranked according to their level of service to SPQR. Members can be promoted or demoted from one group or another by popular vote of Tribunes according to the guidelines given below. 2. Member Rankings *1. Pleb - New recruits to SPQR receive the rank of Pleb for the first 14 days of their membership. During this time they are expected to enter the academy and learn about SPQR, Game Mechanics, and War if they do not possess the knowledge already found therein. Nations will be asked to take an examination to demonstrate a general understanding of Academy topics. Those who achieve a passing grade may be considered to move up in rank. Those who neither take the exam nor demonstrate their aptitude in the above topics will not be eligible to move up in rank. Plebs are not given the right to vote in Tribunal elections nor are eligible to hold any position in SPQR. *2. Civis - Members graduate to Civis status from Pleb. These members are regularly active on the forum and have demonstrated their understanding of Academy principles and ability to serve SPQR. Cives are expected to maintain contact with their military units and commanders as requested. Cives are given the right to vote for Tribunes and hold positions below Praetoria Superior in SPQR. *3. Pater - Cives who have demonstrated exemplary service to SPQR are given the rank of Pater. Tribunes are automatically granted the rank of Pater upon entering their office. Members of Patrician rank are granted the rights of Cives plus the ability to hold Superior Praetorian office. Patrician rank cannot be removed without a unanimous Tribunal vote. IV: Defense and Security Section 1: Defense and War 1. All members of SPQR are expected to partake in alliance defense. The Legatus and Quaestor may employ a chain of command to better administrate the Legio. The members of this command structure carry the authority delegated to them by the Praetoria, which has in turn been delegated from the Imperium. Therefore, no member of SPQR is to engage in war without the authorization of the proper military authorities. 2. SPQR members may purchase nuclear weaponry at their discretion. However, any nation launching nuclear weaponry without acquiring the authorization of military high command will be expelled from SPQR without recourse. Section 2: Security 1. SPQR has a zero-tolerance policy with regard to espionage. No member of SPQR is to engage in espionage against another alliance. If evidence of spy activity is brought before the government, that member may be expelled from SPQR without recourse. Conversely, any member who is found to have been sharing alliance secrets with a non-member of SPQR will be expelled without recourse. Appendix 1The sole exception to this is in regard to a Vote of No Confidence. 2While technically a VoNC can be brought against an Imperator at any time, in order to preserve the sanctity of the office of Imperator it is generally held that, unless emergency situation calls for it, an Imperator is given two months from whence Imperium is conferred upon them to allow for a fair evaluation of their administration. 3When called upon to uphold an obligatory mutual defense agreement by an ally, or when SPQR is under direct threat from a foreign agitator (who may be performing espionage on SPQR or who may have infringed upon the sovereignty of SPQR, the Imperator may declare war immediately. If the agreement is optional, the Imperator is obliged to confer with the Tribunes whether or not SPQR should go to war. The Imperator may refuse to go to war at any time or reject a request from the Legatus to declare a state of war. 4All suspensions or expulsions are subject to review by the Tribunes. A 2/3 majority is required to reinstate a nation suspended or expelled by the Imperator to good standing within Rome. In the case of reinstatement the Tribunes are to draft a statement of censure to be delivered to the Imperator within 48 hours of rendering their verdict. If the expulsion was a case of extreme abuse of Imperium, the Tribunes may start a Vote of No Confidence against the Imperator. 5All accused parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty, placing the burden of proof on the accusing Tribune. Citizens who are asked to vote on removal of an official from office are to be explicitly reminded of this when considering their vote. =Current Treaties= *Sons of Mars Treaty - PIAT with Sparta *Treaty of Drinking Wine and Epic Movies - ToA with Sparta *The Friends with Benefits Pact - PIAT with TAC *PIAT with TWD *THIS IS CAKETOWN - Protectorate Treaty with Sparta =External links= * The SPQR Forvm